Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
A diver uses a pole spear assembly for underwater fishing, which is usually a six feet fiberglass shaft. The shaft has a spear tip at its proximal end for piercing the fish, and an elastic band permanently fixed to its distal end for propelling the spear assembly toward the fish. The shooting hand holds the end of the elastic band, which is in proximity with the rear portion of the spear assembly. The other hand loads the spear by pushing the spear back while the shooting hand moves forward to grab the forward portion of the spear. Upon the release of the shooting hand, the spear is propelled forward toward the fish while the shooting hand maintains a grip on the elastic band to prevent the escape of the fish with the spear.
However, there are several problems with the prior art assembly. There are no sights with a pole spear, so the diver must rely on xe2x80x9cpoint shootingxe2x80x9d in order to pierce the target fish. Preferably, a portion of the spear will be projected forward up to two feet in order not to make the fish aware of the presence of the diver. The length of the elastic band is chosen so that the band has maximum tension when it is about the same distance from the tip of the spear. However, designing an optimum elastic band for each individual""s particular strength is virtually an impractical task.
Additionally, if the fish is hiding within a coral reef or a rock or otherwise present at a closer distance, the diver has to position the shooting hand very close to the spear tip to negotiate the shot, which will require much less band tension power, to avoid over piercing the fish and damaging the coral reef or the tip of the spear. In the prior art assembly, in order for the diver to negotiate the aiming of the spear in these situations, the diver has to advance the tip of the loaded spear pole, while placing his hand far back at the rear portion of the spear, making fishing an impractical task in such situations.
Because of these and other problems with the prior art, there is a need for an improved spear assembly for underwater fishing.
It is an object of the invention to provide for a spear assembly having means for quickly adjusting the tension power of the elastic band while keeping the shooting hand indexed in the same release position near the forward portion of the spear.
It is an object of the invention to provide a spear assembly having means to adjust the tension power of the band so that each diver can reach his maximum load potential while maintaining the release hand at an optimum distance from the tip.
It is another object of the invention to provide for a spear assembly that enables the diver to readily move around and inside undersea structures.
It is an object of the invention to provide a selective locking mechanism that allows the quick movement and repositioning of the elastic band along the axis of the shaft.
Still another object of the invention to provide for a spear assembly that enables fishing around and inside coral reef structures.
It is a further object of the invention to increase the speed of the spear underwater by reducing weight and providing a textured forward portion of the spear to create a cavitation in the water.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide for a secure hand grip near the forward portion of the spear by providing a tapered forward portion toward the spear tip and adding a texture to the surface of the forward portion.
It is a further object of the invention to provide for a shaft that includes a strengthened forward end portion to deliver forceful piercing of the fish.
It is a related object of the invention to provide for a hollow shaft having dispersed plastic foam material inside it for maintaining distal end portion of the shaft lighter underwater even after the spear is dropped by the user, i.e.; heavier the proximal end dropping like an anchor and the distal end being upright with the band being easily seen by a diver to retrieve the spear.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide for a spear assembly having a plurality of selectively movable elastic bands and a plurality of lock means respectively for providing additional force and/or equalizing forces to both sides of a spear for propelling the assembly underwater.
The present invention relates to a spear assembly, that has no mechanical trigger devices, for underwater fishing. The spear assembly includes a hollow elongated shaft that has a longitudinal axis and includes forward and rear portions. The forward portion has a proximal end that terminates with a replaceable sharp spear tip and a distal end rigidly connected to the rear portion. Tension means or an elastic band is mounted on the shaft at the rear portion for propelling the spear against urging of the tension means to cause the tip to pierce a fish. Selectively movable and lockable mechanical means are slidably disposed on the rear portion of the shaft for carrying the tension means to different locations on the shaft.
In one embodiment according to the present invention, the movable and lockable mechanical means include lock means mounted on the rear portion for carrying the tension means and automatically locking when the tension means is stretched toward the spear tip. The lock means include a U-shaped body part partially surrounding the shaft and including a pair of upstanding facing walls. A locking lever has proximal and distal ends and pivotally connected to and between the upstanding walls and has a camming part at the distal end of the locking lever. The tension means are coupled to the proximal end of the locking lever to urge the camming part of the lever to engage the shaft when the tension means are tensioned toward the spear tip.
In an alternative embodiment according to the present invention, the tension means or the elastic band is carried on a slidable bushing mounted rear portion of the shaft, and has a tab at the top of the bushing for coupling the band. A lock that includes a sleeve, which is substantially surrounding the shaft in located in front of the bushing, and terminates with pair of outwardly extending flanges, which are drawn together by a bolt and nut to prevent the bushing from moving forwardly when the bolt and the nut tighten the sleeve around the shaft. The ability to move the elastic band along the axis of the shaft enables the diver to increase or decrease the distance between the spear tip and the elastic band according to his needs when fishing around or inside undersea structures or coral reef. By shortening the distance between the spear tip and the elastic band, the diver can stretch the band and locate it in his shooting hand closer to the spear tip on the shaft.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the spear assembly includes a hollow elongated shaft, which is filled with rigid foam plastic material to inhibit entry of water and to rigidify the shaft. The forward portion of the shaft is tapered from the distal end toward the proximal end adjacent the spear tip and enlarging in circumference generally medially of the shaft from the proximal end toward the distal end of the forward portion to prevent the movable and lockable mechanical means from moving beyond the distal end for providing additional force and/or equalized forces to both sides of the spear for propelling the assembly underwater.
Another embodiment according to the present invention includes a pair of elastic bands to propel the spear faster and more evenly underwater when those bands are released after being tensioned. The bands are disposed on opposite sides of the spear and are carried on the shaft by respective lock means that are slidably movable and settable on the shaft.
An alternative embodiment of the present invention includes a hollow shaft having a rigid foam plastic material inside it and having a forward portion including a metallic rod for strengthening the shaft forward end portion. The rod is secured to and within the forward portion and extending within the hollow of the forward portion from a position spaced from the distal end to and forwardly of the proximal end of the forward portion. The surface of the forward portion may be textured to create cavitation under the water as the spear is propelled to increase the speed of the shaft, and to assist the user in gripping the forward portion. The foam material fills the remainder of the hollow shaft to exclude water and provides some rigidification of the rear portion of the spear. If the spear slips away from the diver underwater, it tends to upright itself vertically wherein the rear portion, which-is filled with foam, becomes the upper portion and the forward portion becomes the lower portion, for easy retrieval due to the band being highly visible by color.